Sakaleshpur (Karnataka) Complete Travel Guide

Here is a brief guide to plan your trip to Sakaleshpura (a hill station in Hasana district in Karnataka, also spelt as Sakleshpur or Sakleshpura). Do not confuse this with Sakaleshpur in Tamil Nadu.

Why visit Sakaleshpura?

1. Sakaleshpura is one of the lesser explored destinations in Karnataka

2. Sakaleshpura is often referred to as Switzerland of Karnataka- has best of the hills, waterfalls, view points, plantation visits etc offering wide range of trekking and exploration opportunities to visitors

3. Sakaleshpura is right in the middle of two big cities- Mangaluru and Bengaluru- very ideal for an overnight stay as you travel. Sakaleshpura has wide range of homestays and resorts fitting every budget category.

4. Sakaleshpura is known for coffee, cardamom and various other spices. 

5. Sakaleshpura tourism (stay expenses, jeep rentals, food and activities etc) are reasonably priced compared to Coorg or Chikmagaluru which are more popular and hence cost a bit more.

6. Better roads

What is the right season to visit Sakaleshpura?

#	Months	Season	Pros	Cons
1	October-December	Post Monsoon	Best time, nice weather	Highest rates
2	Jan- March	Pre-Summer- next best	Better visit now than summer	Bit dry, hot sun in afternoon
3	April-Mid June	Summer	School holiday time	Peak summer, hot temperature, minimum greenery
4	Mid-June-September	Heavy rains	Low season-cheapest rates Ideal for staying indoor n relax Heavy rains & chill	Not best time for outdoor activity, Leeches

What are the things to do and places to stay in Sakaleshpura?

Viewpoints in Sakaleshpura	Waterfalls in Sakaleshpura
1. Bisile View Point 2. Patla Betta View point 3. Hosahalli Gudda 4. Kaginahare viewpoint 5. Tippu Viewpoint 6. Hosahalli gudda shooting point	1. Mallalli waterfalls 2. Abhigandi waterfalls 3. Hanbal falls
Trekking Destinations in Sakaleshpura	Other attractions in Sakaleshpura
1. Ballalarayana Durga 2. Most viewpoints and hill tops can be trekked up if you are ok to skip jeep ride 3. Ettina Bhuja 4. Sri Parvathammana Betta	1. Manjarabad fort 2. Railway track 3. Sakleshwara temple 4. Shettihalli church 5. Maharajanadurga fort
Resorts in Sakaleshpura	Homestays in Sakaleshpura
1.       Mookanana Resort 2.       Eka Resort 3.       Machaan Resort	1. Kasargali homestay 2. Tusker Valley 3. Bisile Home Stay 4. StoneAge Selecting homestays in Sakleshpur

Sakaleshpura travel FAQs

1. Is there good internet in Sakaleshpura?

Internet is a challenge. Machaan Resort has excellent internet connectivity, good enough for office work. Other resorts have internet but connectivity might be a bit unreliable for heavy duty work. Thus plan well

2. Can we explore Sakaleshpura on our own?

Yes and No. There are no rules mandating you to hire a local guide or jeep driver. Roads are very good and hence you can drive around on your own. However several hilltops, waterfalls have bad roads for final few kms, accessible only via daring 4x4 drivers. Thus it might make sense to hire a local jeep driver to ferry you around. There are fair bit of places accessible with normal cars and if you can trek a few kms then you can manage even more on your own.

3. How much does it cost to explore Sakaleshpura?

Here's an indicative expense list, check with your travel agent or homestay host for specifics

• Stay expense: About 10000 Rs per day at resort for 2 people, around 4000 per couple at home stays approx, usually food included
• Travel expense: About 500 Rs one way in AC bus from Mangalore or Bangalore, local jeep rentals 2000-3000 per day for a couple, depending on distance, no of people and other factors. Taxi hire normal rates (about 200-250 kms per day at 12-15 Rs per km and driver batta)
• Entry, parking fees, toll etc: Almost zero, most attractions do not have fees, exceptions may be there, factor 200-400 Rs per day
• Trekking guide, local activity charges- nominal

For a family of four, willing to spend 2 days in Sakaleshpura, factor a spend of about 30000 Rs in luxury (Resort stay + local exploration) or 12000 Rs (budget stay + local explorations) + travel expenses 

4. How many days are needed to explore Sakaleshpura?

2 day weekend trip will be too tight and too little, as many places of interest are 50 kms apart. If you can afford plan for min 3-5 days.

Bisile Ghat viewpoint

5. What else can we visit nearby along with Sakaleshpura?

You can extend towards Mangalore (Kukke Subramanya, Kumara Parvatha, Dharmasthala, Venur etc)

or proceed to Coorg/Chikmagalur

6. Are self drive cars or bikes available for rent in Sakaleshpura?

No. You may get them in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru.

7. Should I pre-book or can I walk-in?

For weekends, pre-booking your stay is highly recommended. For weekday you can try walk-in. Local exploration you can plan after arrival in coordination with your host.

8. Is it OK to visit Sakaleshpur in peak summer or rainy season?

You can, but set your expectations right. Summer is still cooler in Sakaleshpura as it is a hill. However you may have to limit outdoor activities like trekking to early morning hours and spend mid day inside the room or in a pool.

Rainy season, again outdoor activities will be limited. Great opportunity to bond with your family inside the resort campus.

9. How far are the places in Sakaleshpura?

Refer map below [link] for an indicative idea. Most important spots are 30-40 kms apart, need 1 hour commute. So plan your stay and itinerary well to avoid back and forth travel.

10. What would be the best itinerary to explore Sakaleshpura?

There is no fixed rule. Itinerary is a function of how many days you have, what are your priorities, what season you are visiting and where are you staying. I am sharing couple of viable options below, please customize as per your needs.

Plan 1: Workation in Sakaleshpura

Ideal if you have office work to do. Stay at Machaan resort, they have good internet

Rainy season, again outdoor activities will be limited. Great opportunity to bond with your family inside the resort campus. While you work, your family can relax or undertake local excursions. Below places are close to Machaan resort. Ettina Bhuja hill top is also closeby. [link]

Plan 2: 5 day leisure

If you have 5-6 days to spare, try this

Day 01: Arrive at Eka Resort by check in time, refresh, second half try to explore following places

Day 02 explore below places, you may be able to return to resort by lunch time if you start early or by evening if you are starting late or spending time in a relaxed way. Rest of the evening relax at the resort.

Day 03 explore north Sakaleshpura, refer map below-you might want to stay at a different resort/homestay for a change

Day 04 Drive to Shettihalli holy rosary church (submerged church) and Gorur Dam or ask for plantation visit or a trekking activity with help from resort staff. Depending on your interest and season, there could be more waterfalls, trekking destinations and viewpoints that your host can recommend.

Day 05: Relaxed morning, check out and return from Sakaleshpura to home/next destination. Do buy some coffee powder, cardamom, Hanbal chikki and other local specialties. Visiting railway track is another popular activity but now the trains are operational so trekking is not permitted. Do check with your host for feasibility.

Plan 3: Overnight stay

If you are commuting via Sakaleshpura and have only 1 night and two half days, then plan your stay closer to highway, pick a few waterfalls, viewpoints and activities from above list closer to your resort/home stay.

11. What else do we keep in mind while planning tour of Sakaleshpura?

• Not too many restaurants by the road, so best to plan your food in resort/home stay
• Weekend is when Sakleshpura gets lots of tourists from Bengaluru. If possible plan for weekday
• Mobile signal could be weak. Download map, take help from locals, plan your day well with local input from resort or homestay staff.
• Roads are generally good, some hill tops need lots of trekking or 4x4 jeep ride
• Beware of leeches during monsoon
• Though largely coffee plantation, there is one tea estate- Kadumane. But check if they accept guests.
• Don't trust google maps 100%. Consult locals and take a more popular road instead of opting for shortest route map shows. Else you may have to come back if there are blockers
• Locals might block easy access digging trenches few kms before viewpoints to avoid crowd. Read more here

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I will try to help you plan your tour better.